Former head of Omagh Music Society jailed for sex attack on pupil

A former head of the Omagh Music Society has been sentenced to four-and-a-half months in prison for sexually assaulting one of his students.

Former music teacher David Baxter (65), of Killadeas Road, Lisnarick, Co Fermanagh was found guilty of sexually touching a child under 13 on an unknown date between February 1 and April 30, 2018 at Enniskillen Magistrates Court last month.

The former head of music at Erne Integrated College was before the court again this morning for sentencing.

Stressing this was Baxter’s first conviction of any kind, his defence counsel told the court the incident he had been found guilty of was ‘over the clothes touching’, where he touched the teenager on the leg.

District Judge Alana McSorley referred to the pre-sentence report carried out on Baxter by Probation Services.

She said it was ‘significant’ in that it showed Baxter accepted no culpability for what he had done, and showed no remorse, which she said was an aggravating factor.

Judge McSorley said Baxter had abused his position of trust by grooming the victim, who experienced a high degree of harm, including having to leave school. She added Baxter also appeared ‘in some distorted sense of reality’ where he saw himself as the victim.

Judge McSorley sentenced Baxter to four-and-a-half months in prison, and imposed a five year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which will prevent him from working with children.